Ramblings of a Jackhole

Here are the current Nextel Cup 2007 Standings

[photopress:Standings.2007_08_12_1_2.JPG,full,alignleft]Green = Clinched for the Chase (assuming they start every race)
Yellow = Eligible for the Chase (assuming they start every race)
Red = Out of the Chase

As you can see Jeff Gordan is guaranteed a spot in the Chase and the only thing he needs to concern himself is winning races to get those 10 bonus points for the Chase. As the difference between 1st and 43th can be as much as 161 points, assuming one could gain (or lose) up to 80 points a race (320 total points) is not unreasonable. Therefore the driver that are more than 320 points above Kurt Busch (who is in the 12th and final place) are near “locks”, those three Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart.

However, those in the 320 window on either side of Kurt Busch are Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray.

These 13 drivers are those that the Jackhole considers a still true “contenders” for the chase. However, Michigan should narrow the contenders greatly. I would except the window of 80 points a race theory to narrow this down to a scant 8 drivers. So tune in early next week to see if that is the case!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 14th, 2007 at 11:51 AM and is filed under NASCAR. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.